cant really tell from those pictures...for all we know, you could have just washed and spray waxed it. The garage reflection shots without light show nothing to a detailer's eye as all cars will look like that.

Some solid before and afters would help, and we (the pros on here) would be able to help guide you on what you did right/wrong/need to do better.

I used zaino products. I did an initial wash with Dawn to remove anything that was on the car before hand. Then I did a clay bar over the entire car to remove as much of the more aggressive stuff as I could. I then did another was with the Z7 wash. Dried the car and began on the Z5 polish. After the Z5 I put down some Z6 and moved onto the Z2 polish. Once done there I put down another Z6 coat. I think that about sums it up... It took about 5 hours including cure times.

I know the garage shots where not very useful which is why I tried to do some in direct light. I am all for tips on how to better capture the results on a camera so the experts can make suggestions!

Before and afters will help capture the results on camera better than just afters in different lighting.

I'd say regardless it turned out well if it was your first "detail" as I've seen a lot come out horrible. Given it is a new car, but a lot of people can scratch the car worse trying their hand at detailing as they don't know the proper technique, pressure, speeds & settings, and so forth.

Beautiful car, I'm always a sucker for blue Bimmers! Since you're asking for feedback, I thought I'd share a little, only in the interest of offering a hand, not trying to criticize.

Both side shots of the doors show some kind of hazing on there. The one from the driver side looks like it might have been some Zaino residue not fully removed, and some streaking of some sort right above that. The passenger side looks like more of the same, and possibly some scuffing from the clay? Not really sure, I can't tell very well from the pics.

Also, the rear quarter panel has some swirling which can be polished out by machine, since Zaino "polishes" are really just sealants.

All in all, it looks really good though. Enjoy that thing, it looks awesome!

Thanks for the feedback Mike.
Constructive criticism is always welcome. You are right a couple of those pictures look like there might be some residue left or maybe it was the lighting. I will have to take a close look.

There are some swirls on there that you can see it direct sunlight. I am not sure I have enough confidence to tackle a machine polish...

Definitely enjoying! Aside from being an awesome car it is hands down the best color!

Thanks for the feedback Mike.
Constructive criticism is always welcome. You are right a couple of those pictures look like there might be some residue left or maybe it was the lighting. I will have to take a close look.

There are some swirls on there that you can see it direct sunlight. I am not sure I have enough confidence to tackle a machine polish...

Definitely enjoying! Aside from being an awesome car it is hands down the best color!

Whoa, hold on there! It's a documented fact that Imola Red is the best color! Then again, I'm biased.

As for machine polishing, with a good DA machine and some of the newer polishes (Megs D300, 205, HD Uno,etc,) you should be able to get great results with very little risk. Or you could do what I did and hit up all your friends to guinea pig their cars before touching your own M3.

I've owned all 3 of the latest generation DAs, so I'm pretty unbiased when I say that the Griots machine is currently the best of the bunch. It has LOADS of power by direct comparison, a lifetime warranty and although some people don't consider it a useful feature, I have and love the 25ft cord model.

In a nutshell, and these are only my opinions,

1.Porter Cable 7424XP- a fine machine as long as you don't compare it to the others. Poor ergonomics, and sorely underpowered when used head-to-head. Supposedly the most reliable.
2.Meguiars G110v2- great ergonomics, clunky start/stop switch, soft-start feature is nice sometimes, and slightly more powerful than the PCXP. I think there is an running change on this one, waiting to hear more about that.
3.Griot's Garage DA- the beast, very hard to bog down, stronger at speed 4 than the others are at speed 6, start/stop switch is a rocker instead of a slide and takes some getting used to. Some have had reliability issues, but that's what the lifetime warranty is for.

The Griot's is my number one machine for now. The XP has long since found a new owner, and the G110 is demoted to 3" and 4" pad duty. Even the almighty Flex is gathering dust.

If I can make one more suggestion, try not to buy it in a kit. Depending on retailer, the kits often come with 6.5 pads only and usually CCS pads at that. IMO, flat pads are better and easier to use. Pick and choose your pads so that you aren't stuck with ones you won't use. Good luck and have fun with it!

I've owned all 3 of the latest generation DAs, so I'm pretty unbiased when I say that the Griots machine is currently the best of the bunch. It has LOADS of power by direct comparison, a lifetime warranty and although some people don't consider it a useful feature, I have and love the 25ft cord model.

If I can make one more suggestion, try not to buy it in a kit. Depending on retailer, the kits often come with 6.5 pads only and usually CCS pads at that. IMO, flat pads are better and easier to use. Pick and choose your pads so that you aren't stuck with ones you won't use. Good luck and have fun with it!